Game apparatus.



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INVENTOR A A PATENTED'JAN. 13, 1903. R. IRELAND, GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 3, 1902.

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FPOZerZIreZarzd ATTORNEYS 2 A a #0 d, w m M 2. H w 9 wmvsssss' UNITED STATES 'Z'ATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT IRELAND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,353, dated January 13, 1903.

- Application filed December 3, 1902. Serla1No. 133,671. lNo model.) i

To all whom/ it may concern.-

Be it kn own that I, ROBERT IRELAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved game apparatus by means of which a new and interesting game may be played; and the apparatus consists of a board or table of a novel construction hereinafter described and claimed and a predetermined number of balls and a cue, the balls and one being not shown and described.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a plan View of the board or table which I employ; Fig. 2, a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

In the practice of my invention I provide a board or table a, which in the form of construction shown is provided with side members 0, which project slightly above the surface thereof and also below said board or table, and the said board or table is provided with a central transverse strip a secured to the bottom thereof for the purpose of giving strength thereto. The board or table a may be made in any desired manner and may consist of an ordinary table supported in the manner of a billiard or pool table, or it may be made independently and placed on any other suitable support. The board or table a is also preferably provided with a cloth 1) similar to other apparatus or tables of this class, and arranged thereon in a substantially circular form is a wall 0, which is open at one side to form a space 0 and which incloses all the central portion of the board or table. Arranged at regular intervals in the wall 0 are recesses, which are preferably five in number, and these recesses for the purpose of this description are designated by the reference characters 0 0, c 0 and 0 beginning with the left, and in each of these recesses is formed or placed a pocket 0 and said pockets in the form of construction shown consist only of depressions formed in the board or table, and at the entrance to the said recesses the said wall 0 is formed into rounded or beveled buffers 0 v r The recess 0 isdirectly opposite the opening 0 in the wall 0, and placed in front thereof is a baffle-block d, which preferably consists of a circular block secured to the table or board in any desired manner, and in front of the recesses c and c are similar baffleblocks d and d Arranged in radial line with and inwardly of and at a predetermined distance from the baffle-blocks 01 and d are other pockets d and 01 similar to the pocket 7 c and these pockets are partially inclosed by segmental walls d and (1 forming recesses which open outwardly and have inclined buffers 61 connected by curved walls 01 the convex surfaces of which are directed inwardly and also form buffers.

At the center of the board or table is another pocket e, similar to the pocket 0 and in front of which is a baffle-block 6 similar to the baffle-blocks d, (1 and (Z and the pocket e is partially inclosed by a segmental Wall 6 and which opens forwardlyvand is provided with inclined buffers 6 which are connected by backwardly-converging Walls 6 the rear ends of which are connected by a segmental wall 6 and the Walls 6 also form buffers.

In front of the recesses c and c and in radial line therewith and about half-way between said recesses and the central pocket 6 are placed baffle-blocks f, and rearwardly of these are placed pockets 9, similar to the other pockets hereinbefore described, and these pockets g are partially inclosed by segmental Walls g which open forwardly and each of which is provided with an outwardlydirected loop-shaped member 9 which form buffers for the recesses c and o, and with inwardly-directed inclined buffers g, the outer ends of which are connected with the loopshaped members g by segmental walls g the convex surfaces of which are directed backwardly, and these walls 9 also form bufiers.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that in the form of construction shown there are ten of the pockets employed and six of the baffle-blocks and that five of said pockets are provided with partially-inclosing independent walls having buffers arranged in the manner described; but my invention is not limited to the exact number of pockets herein shown and described nor to the exact arrangement of the buffers and baffle-blocks with whichsaid pockets are provided, as will hereinafter appear, and although I have described the parts cl, d (1 c and f as baffle-blocks and the inclined guards at the sides of the approaches to the various pockets as buffers it will be understood that the said baffle-blocks also form buffers in the operation of playing the game, as hereinafter described.

The apparatus also involves a number of balls equal to the number of pockets employed and a one by means of which said balls are played, and in practice each of the pockets may be given a number by means of which the game may be counted. In practice the balls are played from a scratch-line arranged at the opening a at the front of the board, and the said balls may be placed at any point on said line, and in practice a ball is played at each of the pockets; and if the play is successful and the ball enters the pocket at which it is played the number of said pocket is counted to the score of the player. If, however, the player fails to make the pocket, the number of said pocket does not count in his score, and the ball may be left on the table or removed therefrom until the turn of the next player.

The ball, as hereinbefore stated, may be placed at any point on the scratch-line, and suppose the player desires to make the pocket a in the recess 0 the ball will be placed at the right of the opening a in the wall 0 and will be played so as to strike the outer surface of the baffle-block (Z and then rolled into said pocket. If the player desires to make the pocket (1 he will place his ball so that he will strike the inner side of the baffle-block d and roll into said pocket. The playing of a ball into any other pocket is done in the same manner, it being understood that if a ball cannot be played directlyinto any pocket it must be made to strike one of the buffers or baffle-blocks and then roll into said pocket.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that each of the pockets with which the board or table is provided, with the exception of the pocket c in the recesses c" and c, is provided with a battle-block arranged directly in front thereof, and the parts g form buffers or baffles for the said pockets in the recesses c and c. It will be also observed from the construction herein shown and described that it will be very hard to play a ball into any l pocket without first striking a baffle or buffer; but by careful playing and by the exercise of great skill this may possibly be done in the case of the pockets in the recesses c and c and possibly also in the case of the central pocket 0, and the successful playing of my improved game by means of the apparatus herein described requires the exercise of great skill, as well as a steady hand and a true eye.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A game board or table having a circularly-arranged wall which opens forwardly and wherein are formed a plurality of recesses provided with pockets, the approaches to said pockets being also provided with inclined or curved buffers, other buffers placed in front of and radially in line with said recesses, and other pockets formed in said board or table and partially inclosed by segmental walls, part of which open forwardly and part forwardly and radially, said walls being also provided with bulfers, substantially as shown and described.

2. A game board or table provided with an inclosing wall which opens forwardly, said board or table being also provided within the inclosing wall with a plurality of pockets all of which are partially inclosed by segmental walls forming recesses which open forwardly or forwardly and radially, said walls being provided at their ends with inclined or curved buffers, and said pockets being also provided in front thereof with baffles or buffers, sub stantially as shown and described.

3. A game board or table provided with an inclosing wall which opens forwardly or at the front side or end of the board or table, said board or table being also provided with pockets arranged in recesses formed at intervals in said wall said recesses opening inwardly and being provided with baffles orbuffers, said board or table being also provided with other pockets partially inclosed by segmental walls forming recesses which open forwardly and radially, and which are also provided with buffers, each of said pockets being also provided with a balfie or buffer arranged in front thereof,substantiallyas shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 2d day of December, 1902.

ROBERT IRELAND.

l/Vituesses:

F. A. STEWART, J. O. LARsEN. 

